Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.

Thy kingdom come…

Wait a minute… didn’t the kingdom of God come already? Didn’t Jesus announce that the kingdom was here — that it came with Him? “Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, ‘The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, “Here it is,” or “There it is,” because the kingdom of God is in your midst’” (Luke 17:20-21). The implication in what Jesus said here is that the kingdom of God was already there and they didn’t know it. They were waiting for a notable event and it’s already happened. In fact, they are talking to the kingdom of God right now and they don’t know it. The kingdom of God can’t be observed; it can only be experienced.

It’s a little like the Jesus Movement. It’s already here, but it’s not something that can be observed. No-one can say, “Here it is,” or “There it is.” But you’ll know it when you experience it. The kingdom of God came with Jesus. Jesus is the king, and where the king is, there is the kingdom.

So what does it mean for us to be praying for the kingdom to come? It means for Jesus to be known and experienced by more and more people. We pray for the kingdom to be expanded — for more people to come to know Jesus. To introduce  the gospel of welcome — grace turned outward — to everyone, everywhere is for the kingdom to come. We don’t only pray for this to happen; we are the kingdom, and we are here. So how are we doing? We not only pray for the kingdom of God to come, we bring it. We are the kingdom. So the big question is: what are you and I doing to make this part of the Lord’s prayer come true?